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Editorial Images Now Available at iStockphoto

iStockphoto has now made “editorial use only” images available for purchase. Unlike the millions of other pre-existing royalty-free images on iStockphoto, the new editorial collection of images are strictly for non-commercial use and “are intended for use by news outlets, publishers, magazines, bloggers and presenters as a descriptive visual reference to a product, place, event or concept.”

Additionally, contributing photographers will generally not be required to submit a model release for editorial images, nor is there a need to remove trademarks or other branding from editorial images.

More details on the new editorial image collection in iStock’s press release below.

iStock Photo Press Release

CALGARY, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–iStockphoto has added a new collection of “editorial use only” stock images to www.istockphoto.com. These images are intended for use by news outlets, publishers, magazines, bloggers and presenters as a descriptive visual reference to a product, place, event or concept.

“By offering more editorial images, we are now able to provide a treasure trove of new content that provides real-world representation of the topics a large number of our customers cover. Editorial images also represent a tremendous new opportunity for our contributors.”

Editorial use only images are covered by a licensing agreement that limits the manner in which they can be used. They are subject to a different, more restrictive set of content guidelines than images used commercially. For example, stock photos containing logos, trademarks, company names, product brands or patented designs cannot be used commercially, while in an editorial context they are perfectly acceptable. Similarly, if a photo containing a recognizable or identifiable person is to be used commercially, a model release is mandatory. For editorial purposes, model releases are generally not required.

“iStock images are already used for editorial purposes around the world,” said Kelly Thompson, COO of iStockphoto. “By offering more editorial images, we are now able to provide a treasure trove of new content that provides real-world representation of the topics a large number of our customers cover. Editorial images also represent a tremendous new opportunity for our contributors.”

While any of iStockphoto’s eight million-plus images may be used for editorial purposes, editorial use only images may not be used for commercial purposes. For this reason, editorial use only images will be distinctly watermarked and visible on the search results page with an orange icon. Those not looking for editorial images will be given an option to filter out editorial use only images from search queries.

Like all iStockphoto files, editorial images will be covered by the company’s legal guarantee protecting customers from intellectual property and privacy disputes.

Pricing and Availability

Editorial use only images are immediately available at www.istockphoto.com and can be purchased using credits, iStockphoto’s currency.